Snow Buries Driveways, Makes Roads Slick

Many people all across KELOLAND woke up to find their yards, driveways and cars buried under snow. 3.5 inches fell in Sioux Falls, and it kept city snow plows busy as drivers were out by 4 a.m. clearing the streets.

Rick Hanneman stopped shoveling his driveway to point out that there is no need to dream of a White Christmas.

"We already have it right now," Hanneman said.

The winter wonderland was a big surprise of Jerry Thorin.

"Maybe I got to talk to Jay (Trobec)! I didn't realize what was going on!" Thorin said with a laugh.

Thorin is no stranger to snow, but on Tuesday morning, he introduced this more typical South Dakota December to his snowblower.

"Last year, I bought a brand new one before the season. I used it one time all last winter," Thorin said.

Though a lot of people did not want to see it cover their driveways, both Thorin and Hanneman pointed out it was probably a welcome sight for some area farmers, who are recovering from the summer drought. Drivers, however, were probably less than thrilled. Sioux Falls police officers dealt with 45 crashes Tuesday morning on slick roads. 24 of the fender benders happened in just an hour from 7 to 8 a.m.

"It's new to everybody because we haven't had snow like this in a couple of years. Plus there's new people in town that never drove in town before. It takes a little getting used to," Hanneman said.

By noon, all of the main, secondary and emergency streets were cleared of the snow. By 1 p.m., city workers and their snow plows tackled residential streets. Even though the street department did not issue a snow alert, it was not a bad idea to slow down.

"Everybody wants to drive just as fast as they always do and it doesn't pay. You don't stop as fast and you just get to sliding. Be extra careful when you get out there," Thorin said.